Chapter 7 – Supper with William and Company
While Bill was arranging the rooms, William went over the paperwork with Nathan about Allie's trust. William was even smart enough to put the account in Union City.
"I felt that a bigger bank was better." William said. "Besides, I know how small towns are. This bank in Union City is part of the bank that I work with in Hamilton so I also feel better about it."
"Thank you." Nathan said. "I still have my main account in Union City as well. I have a local one and always have when I have moved, but still have kept my Union City account that I first set up."
"Good plan, son." William said. "If you ever have any questions, you can call me or one of my lawyers if need be. For now, the publishing company will make monthly payments into the account until the full amount you see here is paid back."
Nathan let out a low whistle when he saw the amount.
"I know that it is a lot." William said. "But just look at it as for Allie's future. Apparently, my daughter's book did well in the States so there was quite a bit of profits. This was half of what was earned."
"Thank you so much." Nathan said.
"I won't say anything to Allie." William said. "I will leave it to you to speak to her about it when you feel it is the right time."
"Again, thank you." Nathan said. "Allie may be mature, but she is still a teenager and doesn't need to know about this right now."
"Wise man." William said. "Now, there was something else that I wanted to speak to you about."
"Okay." Nathan said.
"It came to me after you talked about Allie and then I met her." William said. "I had Thompson do some checking and it wouldn't be a problem. Side note, Thompson used your office while you were out on a ride with Allie, Bill set him up to make some calls while I spoke to my daughter."
"That was fine." Nathan said. "So what were you saying?"
"If you are agreeable." William said. "I have a five year old gelding that I would like to give Allie for her birthday. He is a thoroughbred, but didn't make the cut for racing. He didn't come from good enough bloodlines to be used for breeding. He was gelded and has been on loan to a riding academy in Hamilton. I can get them another horse, I have plenty. But I think that this would be a perfect horse for Allie, especially after Sam here told me about your Mountie horse. This five year old could be a slightly smaller version of the horse. With how tall Allie is, I was thinking that a horse that is currently just shy of sixteen hands would be a good thing."
"Newton is just over seventeen." Nathan said. "Which is a good thing for me with how tall I am."
"I swear this is a gentle horse." William said. "He loves the kids at the riding academy and I have a feeling that Allie would love him and he would be perfect for her. Thompson also checked with the livery here and there is a stall for him. As part of the gift, I would also pay for the first year of boarding fees."
"That is way too generous." Nathan said.
"No." William said. "From what I understand, you deserve it, especially after all my daughter has put you and your daughter through. Please let me do this."
Nathan closed his eyes and said a quick prayer. He felt a peace come over him about it and decided to agree.
"Okay." Nathan said. "But can we keep it a surprise until the horse gets here?"
"If that is what you want." William said. "So when exactly is Allie's birthday?"
"August twelfth." Nathan said.
"Then the horse will be here the weekend before." William said.
"Does the horse have a name already?" Nathan asked.
"He is called Hickory." William said. "But I am sure that if Allie wanted to change the name she could."
"I will let her know." Nathan said. "And thank you for this."
"It is my pleasure." William said. "I wasn't lying when I said, Allie reminded me of my middle daughter when she was that age."
"Elizabeth is your middle daughter right?" Nathan asked.
William just smiled. Nathan shook his head.
Once the rooms were arranged, Thompson called over to the train station and spoke to the lead driver and gave him directions on where to go, when to be back and what needed to be dropped off at the saloon. He then called over to the saloon and reserved three rooms for them, letting Gustav know they would be by later as they had supper plans. Since lodging and their meals had been taken care of and the paperwork done, Nathan excused himself. He needed to check in with Allie and do some paperwork before supper. Before he left, Collins called out to him.
"Grant." Collins said. "I left the packet of information on your desk about that other matter. Please look it over and get back to me by the end of next week."
"Yes, Sir." Nathan said.
After Nathan left, Bill turned to the three gentlemen left.
"What would you like to do?" Bill asked.
"I am headed to the saloon to take care of the rooms." Thompson said. "Benson is dropping off the luggage before they leave for the night."
"I was thinking we might just walk around a bit." William said. "It has been several years since I have been in Hope Valley."
"A walk around sounds nice." Sam Collins said. "For all the time I have spent here, I have seen very little of the town."
"Need a tour guide?" Bill asked.
"If you have nothing else to do." Sam said. "But I did hear you tell Mrs Stanton you would help with supper."
"I have some time." Bill said.
Three men left Abigail's office with Bill locking it up. The three men made quite the sight walking around. Since Bill could see that everyone that was out and about was curious, he made introductions. The towns people were impressed that such important men were in their town and even staying over night. After about twenty-five more minutes, Bill left the duo to finish exploring on their own.
… … … …
It was about six fifteen when the group started gathering in the cafe. Abigail and Frank had saved several tables along the far wall. Frank had arranged the tables into one large table so that they could all sit together. The group of twelve is one of the largest that they have outside of holidays or Sunday where a group eats together after services. Just another reason that Abigail and Frank needed to expand the dining room area of the cafe. Frank was already done framing out the storage room. He still had some finish work inside, but he thought that he might be able to frame out the new addition and then work on the inside work and furniture over the winter.
Lee and Rosemary were the first to arrive, followed shortly by Sam Collins and Thompson both dressed in more casual clothes. William had headed to the row houses to meet his grandson away from everyone and then walk with Elizabeth and Little Jack to the cafe to assure that they would be there. Bill came out of the kitchen when Collins arrived and set a carafe of coffee on the table for people to have while they waited for everyone.
"Abigail and I have a real treat for you tonight." Bill said. "Abigail has made her famous meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes. I have roasted summer veggies and my yeast rolls plus a special dessert for people."
"Sounds wonderful, Bill." Lee said.
"Just relax while we wait for everyone else." Bill said.
Bill went back to the kitchen just as Nathan and Allie came in. Allie hadn't been happy about coming along, knowing that Mrs Thornton was going to be there. Nathan told her that she didn't have to sit by Mrs Thornton or talk to her, but that it would be rude to not go since Mr Thatcher had asked for her to join them.
Nathan settled in on the end by Lee. Allie sat on his left side. There were spots at the other end of the table for Elizabeth, William and Little Jack. While they were waiting, Allie started talking to Thompson who was sitting on her other side. She was asking about his job and when he told her that he traveled with Mr Thatcher, she wanted to know all the places that he had been. Normally Nathan would have shut Allie's thousand questions down, but Thompson waved him off, he was having fun talking to the precocious teen.
William, Elizabeth and Little Jack walked in and Jack immediately ran to Nathan.
"Na'tan" Little Jack cried.
"Hey Big Guy." Nathan said.
Jack lifted his arms and Nathan picked him up. Jack settled into Nathan's lap. He was smiling. Everyone, except Elizabeth who saw that scene had a mixture of happiness and sadness. They could all see how much Little Jack loved Nathan and because of the actions of his mother, Nathan would never be that little boy's father like he wanted.
"Little Jack." Elizabeth said, sharply. "Come sit with your Grandfather."
Jack looked up at Nathan and his bottom lip started to quiver.
"He is fine where he is." William said. "Let him be."
Elizabeth shot her father a dirty look, but she let it go because she didn't want to make a scene. William and Elizabeth settled at the table. Elizabeth immediately started to try and talk to Allie across several other conversations. Finally, William put his hand on her arm and she sat back with a pout on her face. Elizabeth wasn't happy and she was going to make sure others knew what she wanted. Ten minutes after William and Elizabeth came in, Abigail and Bill started bringing the food out. They would serve family style. Once the food was on the table, Abigail and Bill sat down. Frank looked at everyone after getting the nod from Abigail.
"Let us say a prayer." Frank said.
Everyone bowed their heads.
"Lord God." Frank prayed. "Please be with us as we have time together. Bless each and everyone of the people around this table. Please be with those that will be traveling and keep them safe. We ask that you bless this food to our bodies and bless the hands that prepared it. Amen."
"Amen." Was echoed around the table.
Once the prayer was over they started passing the plates around. Nathan tried to convince Little Jack to go sit by his mom and grandpa, but the boy wouldn't be swayed so Nathan just made him a plate along with his own. It would be the first time that Nathan held a toddler and tried to eat. He smiled over at Allie as he remembered how she didn't want to be far from his side when he first took her in. Allie spoke to Jack as they made their plates. For most of the people around the table it was heartbreaking to watch how much the pair loved that little boy knowing how his mother had treated people.
As the food was being passed around, the one thing that both Bill and Abigail noticed was that Elizabeth wasn't wearing the ring that Lucas had given her, but she had her old ring from Jack back on. They were hoping that it was a good sign, but with Elizabeth they never knew. The both silently said a prayer that Elizabeth had started to turn from the bad path that she was on and was coming back to them.
As people started to eat, the conversations died down. Everyone agreed that Abigail and Bill's cooking was some of the best that they had had. Even William was impressed. He had never had meatloaf before but he liked it. He liked it so much that he had asked Abigail for the recipe so he could have the cook at home make it for him sometime. He wasn't sure how his wife and youngest daughter would react nor the cook, but since he was the boss, he knew that at least the cook would make for him if asked.
When they were almost done and Little Jack had moved to William's lap, Sam Collins pulled out a small wrapped package and handed it to William then motioned to Jack.
"Hey Jack." William said. "Look, this is for you."
"Me." Jack said.
"Yes, for you." William said. "I will hold it while you open it."
Jack tore off the paper and saw that it was a book.
"Ook." Jack squealed.
"Yes, a book." William said.
"After Gabe Montgomery came back after the picnic, O'Reilly was impressed with the stories that were shared." Collins said. "So he had me call some of the men that had served with Jack Thornton and put together some stories of Jack. My daughter did some illustrations to go with them. I got it all put together just before I came here. I thought young Jack would like it."
"Thank you." William said. "I am sure that it will be."
"Yes, thank you." Elizabeth said, softly.
Jack wiggled to get down, so William put him down. Jack had the book firmly in his hands. When Elizabeth tried to pick him up, Jack giggled and ran to Nathan.
"Tories, Daddy." Jack squealed.
Nathan picked him up.
"Did you get stories about your Daddy?" Nathan asked.
Jack nodded his head
"Ead." Jack said.
"You want me to read to you." Nathan said.
"Uh huh." Jack said.
"One." Nathan said. "It is getting late."
"Ead." Jack said, holding up the book.
As Jack snuggled into Nathan's lap, he opened the leather bound book and quietly started reading to him.
"I am never going to get him to bed." Elizabeth hissed to Rosemary.
"He will fall asleep." Rosemary said. "He is a little boy that is excited to hear stories about his father. You are the one that has kept a picture of Jack by Little Jack's bed since he was born. You are the one that made sure he knew who his daddy was in the pictures in the house. He is a little boy, of course he wants to hear about his father that he never knew."
"I should be the one reading to him." Elizabeth huffed. "Nathan never even knew Jack."
"Elizabeth Grace." William said. "Don't start."
"Elizabeth." Bill said. "You have been pawning Jack off on others for months, of course he is going to run to someone that has always given him attention. Nathan has always stopped to speak to Little Jack when he was in town or out playing in the field with Laura. Give it some time. You need to spend time with Jack and show him that you are going to be there for him."
Elizabeth huffed.
"Bill speaks the truth." Abigail said. "How many times have you left Jack with other people when he wanted you. He has learned that you aren't there for him. It can be unlearned, but it takes time. You need to show Jack that you are there when he needs you. It will be going to him when he calls, creating a special bedtime routine. Taking him for walks, playing on the floor with him. Just be patient. If Jack wants to go to someone else, then you need to let him for the short term."
"But does it have to be Nathan?" Elizabeth huffed. "I am his mother, Nathan is nothing to him."
"Not in Jack's eyes." Frank said. "To Jack, Nathan has been there."
"I can tell you that it is uncomfortable for Nathan as well." Bill said. "He loves that little boy fiercely and there was a time that he wanted to step into the role of his father, but you refused to allow that to happen for selfish reasons. Now you are having to live with the consequences of those actions."
"You know that Bill and I will always be there for Jack." Lee said. "But you can't take away the other people that Little Jack chose. Jack would have wanted Little Jack raised in the tradition of the Mounties. Right now, Nathan can provide that. You can't take that away from him. Instinctively, Jack has to know that Nathan is someone who is safe. It is time to put your personal feelings aside and do what is best for Little Jack for what might be the first time in a long time. I know that may sound harsh, but for at least the last year, you have now put Jack first. You may love him, but you didn't make him a priority."
Abigail saw that Elizabeth was getting upset.
"Elizabeth." Abigail said. "Grab some dishes and help me clear."
Elizabeth just looked at Abigail, but Abigail just raised her eyebrow and silently challenged Elizabeth to not listen. Finally, Elizabeth picked up some dishes and took them to the kitchen with Abigail right behind her. Bill just motioned for the rest to continue to visit.
After Abigail served the dessert of Minnie's chocolate cake, Frank and Bill helped clear the table as the group continued to visit for a bit. Elizabeth had been more subdued after she had been in the kitchen with Abigail, she no longer was giving her father and Nathan dirty looks. Little Jack had fallen asleep in William's lap after Nathan had handed him off when the cake was served. As soon as they finished their cake, Nathan and Allie left, saying Allie needed to get to bed. The reality was that Allie was uncomfortable with the looks and Mrs Thornton's continued efforts to speak to her.
Lee and Rosemary helped Elizabeth and Little Jack home because he was still sleeping. Lee carried him up to his bed. Elizabeth had not been happy when Nathan and Allie had left and when they pulled up to the row houses, she looked longingly at Nathan's house, which was dark. Rosemary just shook her head, she knew that Elizabeth wasn't going to let Nathan go so easily, but she also knew that Nathan no longer held an ounce of romantic love for Elizabeth. He said he would always look out for Little Jack as a son of a fallen Mountie, but beyond that, he planned to limit his interactions with Elizabeth moving forward. He had told Rosemary quietly that he was glad that there would be a different teacher at the school in the coming year.
… … … …
The next morning, William and his group left when the others returned from Benson Hills. He left with the signed agreement, but he wasn't sure that his daughter was up to making the changes that were required. He hoped and prayed that she was committed to the changes that would be needed. The last thing that he wanted to do was to take his grandson away from Elizabeth. He knew that Little Jack would be well taken care of with either Lee and Rosemary or Bill. William had left clear instructions before he left. He felt bad that Nathan Grant was going to be in the middle of things again, but he hoped that he was strong enough to set boundaries with Elizabeth, because he was the only one that was going to be able to do that with her. As long as he continued to let her steamroll over his life, things would get better.
After super the night before, William had sat down and wrote a long letter to Nathan. He expressed how he would have loved to have him as a son-in-law and how wonderful he was with Little Jack, but also reminded him that he needed to live his own life and not let Elizabeth push him around. He also wrote about how proud he was of the way that he had raised Allie. William left the letter with Bill to give to Nathan in a few days.
William also wrote a letter to his daughter, telling her that he loved her, but that he wasn't happy with the way that she was heading in life. He tried to gently give her a bit of advice and told her that he would be checking in on her and that he was praying that she was able to make the changes that were needed to get her life in a better place. He also talked about how he loved his grandson and couldn't wait to spend more time with him. As William closed the letter to his daughter, he wondered what more that he could have done to steer Elizabeth in the right direction before she had gotten so far off track. He wondered how he failed with his daughter so badly. He knew that he had been hard on Elizabeth when she wanted to come out west and even more so when she said she loved Jack. As much as William didn't agree with Jack and his daughter in the beginning, he couldn't deny that his grandson was a blessing.
… … … …